Subject information acquiring apparatus

Abstract

A subject information acquiring apparatus includes a subject-holding member which holds a subject and a probe unit having a transducer which receives acoustic waves from the subject through the subject-holding member, a housing which accommodates the transducer, and a matching liquid-holding member configured to hold a matching liquid between the transducer and the subject-holding member, the probe unit being allowed to move relative to the subject-holding member. The probe unit has a guide which introduces the matching liquid to the subject-holding member, the matching liquid having been spilled from a space defined by the matching liquid-holding member, the transducer, and the subject-holding member onto the upper surface of the hosing and then flowed from the upper surface of the housing.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A subject information acquiring apparatus comprising:
 a subject-holding member configured to hold a subject; and 
 a probe unit having a transducer which receives acoustic waves from the subject through the subject-holding member, a housing which accommodates the transducer, and a matching liquid-holding member configured to hold a matching liquid between the transducer and the subject-holding member, the probe unit being allowed to move relative to the subject-holding member, wherein 
 the probe unit has a guide which directs the matching liquid to the subject-holding member, wherein the matching liquid, having been spilled onto an upper surface of the housing from a space defined by the matching liquid-holding member, the transducer, and the subject-holding member, is then flowed from the upper surface of the housing to an area of the subject-holding member other than the area of the subject-holding member that defines said space; and 
 wherein a side surface of the housing that faces the subject-holding member has a supply port and a sensor, the supply port being configured to supply the matching liquid to the space, and the sensor detecting the matching liquid. 
 
     
     
       2. The subject information acquiring apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the guide is provided to the housing and introduces the matching liquid flowing from the upper surface of the housing to the subject-holding member. 
     
     
       3. The subject information acquiring apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein at least part of the guide is a groove formed in the housing. 
     
     
       4. The subject information acquiring apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the guide includes a side guide portion and a front guide portion, the side guide portion being provided to the housing to introduce a matching liquid to the subject-holding member side of the housing, and the front guide portion introducing the matching liquid introduced by the side guide portion to the subject-holding member. 
     
     
       5. The subject information acquiring apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein at least part of the guide is deformed depending on the shape of the subject-holding member being in a state in which a subject is held. 
     
     
       6. The subject information acquiring apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the probe unit has a partition which blocks the flow of the matching liquid past a rear area of the housing.